Camber Collective develops and implements strategies and programs to improve public health, to create new economic opportunities for the poor, and to maximize the effectiveness and funding of the philanthropic sector. We are a cross-disciplinary team of strategy consultants with backgrounds in business, development, market research and nonprofit leadership, bringing insight and creativity that is unique among strategy consulting firms.

Our clients are diverse – private foundations, individual philanthropists, nonprofits, NGOs, and mission-driven corporations – but face common challenges: they operate in a world where traditional models are failing, where entrenched behaviors are difficult to change, and where resources are increasingly constrained. We take a human-centered, highly analytical approach to problem-solving that is rooted in a deep understanding of the people and communities that our clients aim to serve. This human-centered perspective allows us to identify how and where to create system level change, enabling our partners to create the impact that they seek in the world.

Selected Clients

Selected Projects

INVESTING IN NEWBORN HEALTH

NEARLY 3 MILLION NEWBORNS DIE EVERY YEAR, AND 60% OF THOSE DEATHS OCCUR IN 10 COUNTRIES.

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Investing In Newborn Health

NEARLY 3 MILLION NEWBORNS DIE EVERY YEAR, AND 60% OF THOSE DEATHS OCCUR IN 10 COUNTRIES.

The Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) is a global initiative with the vision of ending preventable newborn deaths. In order to realize that vision, coverage of life-saving interventions and practices will have to increase significantly over the next 15 years, particularly among the most vulnerable populations in high-burden geographies.

Camber developed a 5-year, multi-country strategy for a major family foundation to invest in newborn survival and accelerate progress toward 2030 ENAP goals. The strategy is rooted in deep contextual analysis of the barriers in particular countries, rigorous quantitative analysis of intervention cost-effectiveness, and feasibility testing with in-country partners and governments.

Camber’s research and analysis found that a 25% increase in coverage of a basic package of newborn health interventions by 2020 would accelerate progress in these high-burden countries and achieve mortality reductions in line with long-term ENAP goals. This foundation is now investing to expand coverage of those interventions for the newborns that need them most.

FAMILY PLANNING IN NIGER

DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO BETTER SERVE WOMEN AND FAMILIES

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Family Planning in Niger

DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO BETTER SERVE WOMEN AND FAMILIES

Niger is currently experiencing rapid population growth with the world’s highest fertility rate, an average of 7.6 children per woman. Niger has low access to family planning services, and faces severe resource constraints.

In collaboration with Niger’s Ministry of Health, private foundations, NGOs, and other partners, Camber performed a strategic analysis grounded in comprehensive consumer insights on family planning needs, attitudes and behaviors in Niger. This analysis included a best-in-class customer segmentation, the first of its kind for reproductive health services in Africa.

The results of the Niger family planning project were met with enthusiasm by the Ministry of Health in Niger and other key public and private stakeholders. These stakeholders and partners have requested an expansion of Camber’s work building on the initial research phase. We are now helping to refine in-country programming and communications, working to expand access to services and make them more responsive to the needs of the Nigerien population. Camber is also working with other partners to adapt and replicate our segmentation work in other parts of West Africa.

REIMAGINING CORPORATE PHILANTHROPY

INTEGRATING BUSINESS AND PHILANTHROPIC STRATEGIES

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Reimagining Corporate Philanthropy

INTEGRATING BUSINESS AND PHILANTHROPIC STRATEGIES

A leading global payments provider was preparing for their impending IPO and wanted to reimagine their corporate philanthropic structure and programs. The company envisioned a strategically-aligned and sustainable approach to social innovation and philanthropy. Against a tight timeline, the company partnered with Camber to conduct a comprehensive landscape of best practices, innovations and giving levels in corporate philanthropy. We also identified and analyzed a set of options to structure and fund a new social innovation team, and developed a strategic framework to evaluate philanthropic program objectives and potential partnerships.

Based on Camber’s analysis and recommendations the company is standing up its new social innovation team, eschewing the traditional corporate foundation, and has committed 1% of pre-tax profits toward philanthropic programs. The company has re-engaged Camber to develop its social innovation strategy and implementation plan, focusing on opportunities to both integrate its business and philanthropic strategies and differentiate itself from competitors.

HEALTH CORPORATE VENTURE FUND

INVESTING FOR DIVERSIFIED GROWTH

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Health Corporate Venture Fund

INVESTING FOR DIVERSIFIED GROWTH

A regional health plan sought diversified sources of revenue and innovation. The leadership team and board of directors engaged Camber to explore the potential of a corporate venture fund. The fund would enable the payer to make strategic investments in product and service companies that supported the mission and could generate positive financial returns.

Camber led a comprehensive landscape analysis to understand current approaches and investment strategies of other corporate venture funds operated by healthcare organizations, and identified potential “white space” and an investment thesis. We assessed best practices, identified risks and key success factors to increase sustainability of a fund through interviews with subject matter experts and venture fund thought leaders. We developed a detailed financial model to evaluate various performance scenarios and make key decisions about operating structure and costs. Finally, we delivered a comprehensive venture fund business plan to the board of directors, which was approved.

Following the launch of the fund Camber has continued to serve as a key partner to the payer, conducting commercial due diligence and advising on the fit and potential of proposed investments, as well as exploring the potential of a seed investment fund for earlier stage companies.

HARNESSING $47 BILLION IN AMERICAN GIVING

American charitable giving has remained stuck at the same 2% of GDP since the 1970’s. Most donors continue giving to large, well known nonprofits, or those to which they are personally connected. Few donors choose nonprofits with the greatest dollar for dollar impact. Despite multiple campaigns, the charitable sector has been unable to increase or shift American giving, in large part because of limited insight into donors’ specific giving behaviors and motivations.

Since 2009, Camber has led the Money for Good ($FG) research series to “seek the voice of the customer” for charitable giving. $FG’s original 2010 report provided the first comprehensive view of Americans’ demand for charitable giving and impact investing since 1994’s The Seven Faces of Philanthropy. $FG’s second report, published in 2011, provided a more granular exploration of the research habits and unmet needs of individual donors, advisors, and foundation grant-makers. $FG 2015 takes this research a step further, suggesting concrete steps the stakeholders in the sector can take to both increase and shift charitable giving.

Camber’s $FG research and analysis shows there is $22 billion in new philanthropic giving and $25 billion in improved philanthropic giving the charitable sector can harness if philanthropic influencers and nonprofits better understand and address donor behaviors and motivations. That’s a lot of money.

BIOTECH GO-TO-MARKET STRATEGY

PRIORITIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH

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Biotech Go-to-Market Strategy

PRIORITIZING OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH

A mid-market biotech company wanted to pursue a new phase of growth across multiple market sub-segments and geographies. The executive team engaged Camber to explore and identify high-value growth opportunities and define a comprehensive go-to-market and growth strategy.

Camber conducted a current state analysis of performance, and identified and analyzed opportunities across 21 market segments and 3 geographies. We worked closely with the executive team to prioritize these opportunities and segments, and developed a go-to-market strategy for the 2 highest-priority opportunities. As part of the go-to-market plan we developed a competitive strategy, identified channel development needs, refined the customer segment targets and associated value proposition and modeled potential growth scenarios. We then co-developed an implementation plan with the executive team, which equipped the client team to deliver on the company’s refined strategy and growth objectives.

We are Camber.

Thoughtful advisors. Networked leaders. Committed partners.

We believe in the power of multi-disciplinary teams. Our team of strategy consultants brings experiences from the public and private sectors, from Fortune 500 companies and social enterprise startups, and from developed and developing countries around the world. While our experiences are diverse, we share a common set of values: curiosity, humility and a commitment to data and evidence. We lead with listening, not with our own agenda, and apply our sectoral expertise as thought partners. We deliver bespoke services that enable you and your teams to do your best strategic thinking and own your strategic decisions.